Chicken Machine

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Chicken Machine

What is it? A fine art object. Okay, it's a cheap-looking wooden paddle with tiny chickens mounted on top. The chickens are attached to strings, which are attached to a wooden ball, which, when you whip it around, makes the birds bob up and down and peck at grains of rice.

Where can you buy it, and how much? Found this in a couple of stores in Hue and at the government-run souvenir store inside Hanoi's Temple of Literature; 20,000 dong ($1.25) seems to be the going rate, and nobody was open to bargaining.

Why would you want it? A lot more fun than those annoying paddles where you swipe at a rubber ball attached to an elastic cord. The chickens are colorful (blue, green, yellow and turquoise), and each has an interesting head of bright red hair. It takes only minimal skill to build up a very satisfying rhythm of typewriter-like pecks. I, for one, find it hard to put down.

Reminds you of Vietnam because: Everywhere you go, you run into free-range poultry. Chickens darting out of alleys. Chickens sitting on benches. Chickens in parks. Even chickens at the beach.

Downside: Nothing major. A slight headache, maybe, from watching the chickens peck. Shouldn't be a problem, though. Suggest you take a couple of Rotunda and a swig of snake wine before turning in. You'll be back enjoying the chickens first thing in the morning.

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